October is a busy time of year - there are often still flowers to give attention to, garden hygiene to get under control, crops to harvest and planning and planting for next year all to fit into your garden schedule.

Changing daylight hours will mean that you're up against it in terms of timings before the winter really hits us but this is often a beautiful time of year too with soft autumnal lighting and spectacular leaf colour to fill your senses.

October brings with it a drop in temperatures, night frosts and an increase of winds blowing the rich autumn-coloured leaves from trees. This month the growing season comes to a close but there are still plenty of jobs to be done in and around the garden.

Don’t worry about clearing every seed head or dying herb stems before winter sets in unless you want your garden to be super tidy, seed heads with frost or moisture from a misty start to the day can be very aesthetically pleasing as well as providing beneficial insects such as ladybirds and lacewings shelter to hibernate. Leaving spent seed heads and stems also gives some plants an added layer of protection through the cold and frosty months.